‘Game the system’ disability benefits

[Tomatochocolate]

WTF
just read a bbc article about welfare reforms

Apparently ministers think that it’s an incentive to claim disability benefits as the incentive is no work commitments on UC. That claimants ‘game the system’

It’s a long process and really hard to get awarded dla or pip. It’s not just ticking a box that says ‘I’m too sick to work’.

AIBU to think this is just horrific

There are people who game the system and I say that as someone on full PIP. And I work bloody hard in fact.

How though ? The process for dla and pip is complicated you can’t get either easily ?

Largely for mental health or by exaggerating symptoms of eg arthritis. There are literally websites coaching people on what to say.

And what will happen with parents who are carers for dc on dla who have no work commitments ? Is that going to be criticised too ? I find it just absolutely awful to target people this way with this kind of language that they are faking/gaming the system rather than looking at what could be done to help those who maybe currently can’t work but could if the right support was in place? To label people as piss takers basically rather than in need of targeted support perhaps ?

That is surely a minority as you have to supply evidence and have assessments

How do you get evidence for stuff you've exaggerated? Even then they ignore your evidence

I don't doubt people do "game the system" but I can't imagine it being easy.

I'm on PIP for mental health - I work as well but I needed loads of evidence from psychologists, my mental health key worker, statement from my doctor .. it would be hard to exaggerate what I have.

Same for DLA actually - my son is disabled, mentally and physically - he actually can't walk at all but was declined. We did an MR but we needed tons and tons of evidence (which we have obviously)

You'd have to play the long game to really get any disability benefits, you can just go to the GP and they hand out money.

People have a few counselling sessions through their GP to create a paper trail. Meanwhile people with severe, enduring mental illness can't get the treatments they need.

This is not my experience at all? Or that of others I know in similar situations. The process has been thorough and intrusive at points but you have to do it. I just can’t see how it could be a problem on the scale described .

I can't hold down a full time job due to severe bipolar and ADHD which can't be medicated due to the bipolar. Because bipolar is episodic, I can't get disability benefits, because I won't lie/ "lay it on thick" as our NDNs described it once. The system rewards people who exaggerate/lay it on thick/lie and penalizes the genuinely disabled. That's why it's so hard if you're genuine but so easy if you're not. This has been the case for decades only in the 80s and 90s it was all bad backs and now it's all mental health. People with far less severe mental illness than me get it because they're gaming the system. I resent paying tax to support people who are less ill than me (or not actually ill at all) while I'm the one living with increased costs/reduced earning potential TBH. I don't resent paying tax to support the genuine cases who somehow managed to get their claims through. I'd like them to sort it out but IDK how they could, and I worry that this new change will penalize more people like me who fall through the cracks rather than those who are expert malingerers.

It is suspicious that when disability benefit was extended, suddenly there was a magical up tick in mental health problems and 'ND'.

I know lots of people who claim to be depressed and ill. Instead of sitting on medication and feeling sorry for themselves, they need to get out doors, get a better routine, and get to work to start feeling better, for themselves. Changes to benefits if done to support this will be a good thing.

Disability benefits don't switch off work commitments though. You can work and claim PIP/DLA.

Someone is confused?

They need to open up more accessible jobs first and change the culture around sickness. I am very lucky in having a well paid, totally flexible job that I can do from home. They need to make more jobs like mine and encourage employers to take on people with disabilities into roles with the acceptance that sometimes they won't make it into work for 9am every day but they have a valid contribution to make. Obviously not everyone can work but many people would like to but just can't at the specific levels required for benefits.

Claiming pip DOES NOT mean you have no work commitments on UC. UC do their own separate assessment.

This person has no idea what they're talking about and more worryingly a lot of people will take what they say as being correct.

Does getting disability benefits lead to LCWRA and that turns off work commitments also getting carers allowance , perhaps that what they mean. It’s hardly gaming the system to claim what you need though

I think people honestly underestimate how motivated some people are to get benefits. They are usually from backgrounds where everyone they know is claiming benefits. They know what to say.

When I had my PIP assessment I didn't know anything about it. Luckily my brain scans were fairly conclusive evidence and the PIP assessor was very kind and helpful. I think some assessors become very cynical or don't understand the conditions themselves so some people are initially declined.

On a lot of chronic illness groups people share tips on how to get approved for disability benefits. There are Reddit groups (subreddits) giving advice on how to make it more likely to be approved, how to increase your chances to make it through tribunal, etc. So yes, there absolutely are people who game the system.

That said, this applies mostly to specific demographics, and there are still many people who are under supported and not receiving support they actually deserve and should be getting. It's a complex picture.

@Tomatochocolate no.

Disability benefits have no bearing whatsoever on UC.

You could get pip and uc say you're fit to work. You could have no pip and get lwrca. They aren't related at all.

Does getting disability benefits lead to LCWRA and that turns off work commitments

No, not at all.

Often people who get PIP do also get LCWRA but it's not an automatic. The assessment is entirely different.

I agree with you and people don't understand how barefaced some people are about exaggerating. They do it because they need the money. I have MS which is progressing all the time. It really annoys me that I'm funding a lifestyle for people who are less ill than I am. I work bloody hard for my family.

How do you get evidence for stuff you've exaggerated? Even then they ignore your evidence

Usually by going to the GP a lot, who are more than happy to throw medication at the problem and not offer therapy. It's very easy to say you have MH problems as how can you prove otherwise?

They are in so far as you can get extra enhancements on UC for being disabled or having a disabled child and being their carer
Also if you claim carers allowance there is no obligation to look for work.

The GP wouldn't be enough
They would want evidence thst you have been treated under mental health services, have a CPN ,Been seen by the crisis team ,in patient care etc

@x2boys you still need someone to be getting the daily living competent of pip to claim carers allowance and it isn't awarded for children on the lowest care rate of dla either.

How do they know they are gaming the system
And if they are why don't they stop them?!
It's a load of ableist shite yet again. I'll tell you one thing, the more they try and harass me and tell me via the media I'm workshy scum, the sicker I'm going to get!